Shattered Souls
by Vault166
Summary: Nothing is Perfect in this world, Not even the soul.(Large AU, Hopefully WorldBuilding)


"...- _As you've been taught, your_ semblance _is a unique thing manifested through a particular facet of your personality. This is what we have believed, and taught for almost as long as the first person unlocked their_ Aura _._

 _What I am here to tell you is that this is wrong._

 _I have spent_ _ **years**_ _experimenting, poking, prodding, and studying my_ Aura _along with that of several others. I have practically shredded my own mind in an attempt to understand the limits of my own_ semblance _. What I have come to tell you is that I have a theory._

 _I submit to you, that if an aura is a person's inner perfection manifested in the form of a shield, than a_ semblance _is our imperfection- the smallest imperfections, and the tiniest faults that make our souls perfect- Sharpened to a point._

 _In order to do exactly what our nature directs us to- Impale our enemies_ ….-"

* * *

"...-Aura _as a rule manifests as a shield. But what kind? Is it A heater shield? A Buckler? Or perhaps, a Kite shield?_

 _Don't know? Well that's okay, I do. That's why I'm writing this you see?_

 _I have (through a set of blind tests) discovered three types of_ Aura Shield _!_

 _The first of which_ -..."

* * *

"...- _Now I know you've probably heard about_ Dual Semblances _, I can practically hear some of the more refractory nobles gritting their teeth, or lecturing thin air about how there is "no such thing!"._

 _Well sorry to say but their right. There is no such thing as a_ Dual Semblance _._

 _It is however possible to have more than one_ Semblance _._

 _Now I before you start cursing me out about how it's "the same goddamn thing", it really isn't. A Dual Semblance, is the imaginary state of having more than a one_ Semblance _._

 _Which is stupid because_ _ **everyone**_ _has more than one_ Semblance _._

 _I can already hear your confusion. To get to back what I said earlier about a_ Semblance _, being the manifestation of our imperfections? Well have you heard of someone with only a single imperfection?_

 _So yes everyone has more than one_ Semblance _. Most of the time it's subtle, like generating a minting smell when they use their super strength._

 _Other times its unrelated, like have the ability to teleport, along with the ability to control tectonic plates._

 _Now I can see you wondering "If that's true then why can't I smell minty when I'm not using my super strength_ Semblance _, why can't I do that individually?" That's because you can! You just haven't been taught, how to yet._

 _Thing of it like you have your shoelaces tied together, if you move one foot your going to have to move the other-_..."

* * *

"...- _Now I'm sure you've heard of_ Aura Manipulation _. The mirror of your soul? The art of old wise men?_

 _Well whatever you call it, it's the practice of manipulating your_ Aura _in a variety of different ways. By default your Aura will always form a shield. That does not however, mean that is it's only use._

 _Most people who have their_ Aura _unlocked use it reinforce their limbs and increase their speed, and durability-yadda yadda yadda- I'm not going in to that. Nope, That's not what we're here to talk about, nope, nope, nope, we are going to talk about far more… esoteric uses._

 _Such as using it to view other beings souls, or even banishing grim in a blaze of Light._

 _Sounds a lot more interesting now, doesn't it?_ -..."

* * *

 _-Excerpt from the book-_ _The Foundation of the Soul_ _(Unedited Version), Written and researched By_ _Joan Servetus_ _. Published only Four months before her arrest, and eventual execution a year later._

* * *

Taiyang Xiao Long sighed, his heart constricting unpleasantly as he looked at his watch, just as it chimed 10:00 PM on the dot.

Summer was suppose to have been home, three hours ago… and he didn't know what to do. He'd put the girls to bed at six like always, even though they'd wanted to wait with him. Oh how disappointed Ruby had been, with her eyes growing to the size of bowling balls when he'd told her she had to go to sleep.

This was just getting worse, he could feel his hands shivering as he held back a sob. He knew what to expect when she'd broken schedule. Summer was suppose to call in once a week, to report, as was standard when operating in the grimlands… but she hadn't called in, an almost four weeks.

Of course that wasn't unusual, he told himself and his daughters. She probably just broke her scroll or something. Yep thats what it was, that's all it was.

But this was the day, she was suppose to come home. She was never late, even when she didn't have her scroll. It was one of her quirks, she was almost as precise as a clock. She could tell you the time without even glancing up from whatever grimm she was killing.

And now he was facing the thought, that perhaps she wasn't coming back.

He could feel the tears trailing down his face, leaving salty hot trails down his face. Cause his Rose wasn't coming back-

A thud from upstairs startled him from out of the chair he'd pulled up behind the couch to watch the door and onto the floor. Bonking his head on the laqured wood in the process. The room fuzzed in a momentary blur, before coming back to focus along with a familiar ich in back of his skull, that Taiyang knew to be the feeling of his aura healing a concussion.

A feeling he knew far to well, Qrow used to joke that it wasn't a mission until Taiyang got hit in the head… _Jackass_.

Rolling onto his front with a grunt of irritation, the back of his skull still tingling unpleasantly. "Knew we should have gotten carpet." he groaned, he looked for the source of the disturbance.

Only to find two sets of violet and silver eyes, staring down at him from halfway up the stairs.

"Ruby? Yang? I though I put you to sleep Hours ago?" Taiyang asked himself more than his daughters, the only lights left in his life. His still awaiting concussion muffleing his thought more than he'd like.

The didn't answer just looked down in an ashmaed manner, their eyes big and sad liked they'd been caught with their hands in the cookie jar- "You were going to raid the cookie jar weren't you?"

"Uh… n-no?" Yang deflected lamely, her attempt at avoiding punishment only maid more comical when Ruby answered with an adorably yawned "Y-Yes." Unable to help himself Taiyang smiled, something that only grew bright when Yang glared at her sister. Violet eyes narrowed dangerously, in an adorable pout.

Ruby simply not noticing her sisters ire as she yawned again tears pricking her silver eyes even as she rubbed them away.

A smile still on his face Taiyang chuckled, before slumping back into the wooden chair he'd been in only minutes earlier. Padding his lap, even as he told them to "Come here." in a gentle voice.

Both of them trotted down the stairs, tiredly as they made they're way to him. Yang in pajamas with stylized motorcycles, Ruby in set of black Pj's covered in pink hearts.

Yang just pulled herself onto his lap, while ruby Yawned once more, and put her hands into the air, in order to be picked up. "You little rascals, sneaking around and stealing cookies!" he said playfully, bouncing yang on one leg while he held Ruby with one arm. Tickling both slightly his smile grew wider as they both giggled.

It was a pleasant distraction from his previous worries. But you can only distract yourself, for so long. Something he learned when Yang started looking around, her already long hair(for a eight year old that is) whipping around with her head, in a maelstrom of yellow.

"Wheres Mommy?" she asked, Ruby far to absorbed in prodding one of the tattoos on his shoulder, to pay Yang too much attention.

Taiyang hesitated, blinking his eyes in hopes that Yang wouldn't see the forming tears. "She's just late, Yang, Mommy will be here in a bit." Yang blinked "Oh…" Before scrunching up her eyebrows in a look of childish concentration that forced him to bite his lip in order to hold in a cueing sound.

Yang hated it when he did that.

"But Mommys never late…" His first daughter said trying to relate what he said to reality, opening her mouth to ask more questions, Taiyang was saved by the bell so to speak, when Ruby poked his arm a bit harder than before.

"What this one mean?" the rose asked, childish curiosity overflowing the words. Looking at the tattoo in question, he found himself staring at his Third Rank Tattoo. A set of three letters, in shining in the same bright gold as his aura. "Uhh…" How do you explain to your Six year old daughter that your tattoo meant you were the equivalent of a Strategic 9th grade dust missile?

' _Goddammit Tai there was a reason you stopped wearing tube tops! Bad Tai! Bad!_ '

"Um… It means I got special training for my semblance?" Was it bad that even he could tell that was more of question than a statement? "What kind of training?" Ruby asked once again.

He never thought he would ever wish, Ruby wasn't so inquisitive.

Didn't mean he wasn't going to do his best to explain it to her, but still.

"It, err means my semblance, um, got strong enough that I needed special training? in order to make sure I didn't hurt someone on accident." Seeing her silver eyes light up even more, apparently Ruby liked this kind a thing? And oh looked like Yang was interested too. Huh.

Ruffling Ruby's hair he set her down for a second, before doing the same with Yang. "I think I have a book on this somewhere…" he said walking over to one of the bookcases in the living room.

Taiyang hadn't really seen the point in them at the time, much preferring having a seperate room set aside for books and things. But Summer had insisted on it when he bought the house… and Raven hadn't complained.

Raven… he hadn't thought about her in years… He knew she had been in patch, watching over Yang, or talking meeting up with Qrow. They thought they were being subtle but Raven didn't really do subtle.

"Oh here it is!" Taiyang announced in success. Pulling a leather bound book that looked seamingly ancient. It wasn't as old as it appeared, it was only published about ten years ago.

He had meant to get a newer version, one these days but her kept getting distracted raising the girls. Being a house husband was really time consuming after all.

Padding over to the couch he called the girls over. Ruby might as well have tackled him, her littler arms wrapped around his right bicep like a vice, as she shot onto the couch. Yang surprising enough was far less energetic about it, just climbing onto the couch and doing her best to act like a blob of skin as she curled up next to her father.

When was the last time he had done something like this with them? It couldn't have been that long ago right?

"A semblance is the manifestation of your-"

* * *

Sighing he rapped his knuckles on the door, for what must have been the fifth time. Qrow was not having a good day.

"Goddammit Tai, Open the damn door!"

Growling to himself, he slipped the flask from his pocket unscrewing it he took a swig only to stop just before the metal met his lips.

A flash of white drifting over his mind's eye as he paused mid motion, he Growled out a far harsher noise than earlier. " _Dammit_ Summer." he said without any real heat in his gravelly voice, as he capped the flask and through it back into his pocket.

Knocking angrily on the cabin door, he paused once more waiting for an answer. Only to string a set of curses together before saying "fuck it, Tai can get angry at me later." Slipping out a pair of lock picking tools, and etting to word on the door.

Funny just a few years ago, he would have simply knocked the door off its hinges and barged in. Heh, how thing change. "Almost… Almost… there we go!" Heat the ever satisfying clicking noise he was waiting he got back onto his feet and turned the doorknob. The knob squeaked slightly as he pushed the door open.

Only to find himself staring at his nieces and best friend, snoozing along on the couch smiles on their faces as they nuzzled their fathers chest like a pair of cats. A slightly familiar book that Qrow guessed they had been reading, having fallen out of Taiyang's outstretched hand at some point during the night.

The kids themselves looked happy, and unphased, but the tear marks on Tai's face meant he more than likely already knew what Qrow came here to confirm.

He could _feel_ , his heart constrict at the thought of ruining the peaceful smiles on Yang, and Ruby's faces.

And breaking Tai all over again.

But then that almost seemed to be his birth role in this world.

Breaking the hearts of everyone he cared about.

' _Stop it Qrow!, No fucking pity parties, just do what you came here to do!_ ' he thought smacking himself over the face before sighing and reaching out to wake up his old teammate.

Once they woke he would probably shove the girls into their room. They didn't, deserve to see their father beat the shit out of their uncle in a fit of grief fueled rage.

Not that he didn't deserve it,

after all...

 _He was the reason Summer Rose would never be coming home._

* * *

 **If you haven't realized yet, this is entirely AU.**


End file.
